Boston-area to do list

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PICK OF THE DAY

Dance by the numbers

In ‘4,’ dancers move in synchronized motion without ever touching. In ‘5,’ they stay in close physical contact, moving all the while. Both pieces by TAO Dance Theater present the human body as part of a visual landscape. Since its founding in 2008 by dancer/choreographer Tao Ye, the modern dance company from China has earned acclaim for performances around the world. The group’s Boston debut is presented by the Celebrity Series. Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28, 8 p.m. From $60. Citi Shubert Theatre, 270 Tremont St., Boston. 866-348-9738, www.celebrityseries.com

WEDNESDAY

‘Containment’ strategies Things to put things in are necessities, but they can also be art. “Vessels: The Art of Containment” features two- and three-dimensional pieces by 19 artists and includes Cambodian ceramics, Steampunk pieces, and abstract interpretations. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Through March 8. Brush Art Gallery & Studios, 256 Market St., Lowell. 978-459-7819, www.thebrush.org

Harbor saga In the 1990s, a construction project intended to create a treatment plant and tunnel for carrying waste out of Boston Harbor began. When things went awry, five divers were called in to help, but their mission ended in tragedy. Neil Swidey tells the story in “Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness.” Swidey talks about the book in Cambridge. Feb. 26, 7 p.m. Free. Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-661-1515, www.harvard.com

Crowd-funded pleaser Count The Whiskey Gentry among the growing number of bands helped by Kickstarter. The Atlanta-based ensemble used the service to finance their 2013 album “Holly Grove,” which mixes honky tonk, country, bluegrass, and more. They play in Boston with The Defibulators and Larcenist. Feb. 26, 9 p.m. $10. Great Scott, 1222 Comm. Ave., Allston. www.boweryboston.com

THURSDAY

Ready for a good time Earlier this month, when “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” aired for the last time, Buckwheat Zydeco was a musical guest. Maybe Fallon picked the Louisiana legend for his accordion chops, or maybe he just wanted his last show to be a really good time. The feel-good, Grammy-winning artist and his band play in Cambridge. Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m. $20. Regattabar, Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St., Cambridge. 617-661-5000, www.regattabarjazz.com

Jazz power Jazz, one of America’s great art forms, also played a role in the fight against racism. Ken Schaphorst and the New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra present “Jazz and the Struggle for Freedom & Equality” featuring Carla Bley’s “Dreamkeeper,” excerpts from Ellington’s “Black, Brown and Beige,” and Mingus’s “Freedom” with WGBH’s Eric Jackson as narrator in the Music: Truth to Power festival. Feb. 27, 8 p.m. Free. NEC’s Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston. 617-585-1122, www.necmusic.edu

Women of history We hear a lot about men in the history books, not so much about women, and even less about Native American women. Anthropologist Amy Den Ouden does her part to remedy that with “Lett no Country Grants to be Laid Upon our Lands.”The illustrated lecture explores the lives of 18th-century indigenous women. Feb. 27, 12:15 p.m. $6, $5 students and seniors, $1 kids. Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington St., Boston. 617-482-6439, www.osmh.org